Gold passed away at home in his sleep from a heart attack, his sister, Melani Gold Friedman, told the Los Angeles Times. Although he had been undergoing cancer treatment, she said he was responding well to the process. Gold was 59.

In addition to penning his own songs, Gold played several instruments and was a member of Linda Ronstandt’s band in the 1970s. With Ronstandt, Gold played on the 1974 album Heart Like a Wheel as well as her next four albums.

Born Aug. 2, 1951, in Burbank, California to Academy Award-winning composer Ernest Gold and singer Marni Nixon (who performed the vocal parts for many Hollywood actresses), Gold became involved in music from an early age.

While working on his own songs, Gold was also able to amass writing and performance credits for some of the music industry’s biggest names: Art Garfunkel, Brian Wilson, Don Henley, Cher, and three Beatles all number as artists with whom Gold worked. He also co-wrote the number one single “I Saw The Light” for Wynonna Judd.

Gold’s work also breached the atmosphere; he recorded the original version of the song “Final Frontier” for the sitcom Mad About You. This track was used as the wake-up song for the 1996 Mars Pathfinder rover.

Gold is survived by his wife, Leslie Kogan, his daughters Emily, Victoria and Olivia from a previous marriage, his sister Melani and his sister Martha Carr.